How to Spend a Unique Day in Beautiful Downtown Beaufort, SC

Picture the typical postcard image of the South, the ones with beautiful antebellum mansions on streets where Spanish Moss swings from live oak trees like chandeliers in an earthquake.

Maybe Charleston is the first destination you think of if you’re in South Carolina.

But Beaufort (pronounced BEW-fert, unlike the one in NC), a smaller coastal city on Port Royal Island, will give you the same postcard image at a more relaxed pace. 

The historic downtown district will also give you a cool waterfront park, art galleries, restaurants, enchanting squares, and nearby walking and biking trails.

Are you into movies? You’re going to love it.

Beaufort is only one-hour drive from Savannah, and even less from Hilton Head Island. You can also visit from Charleston in a two-hour drive and maybe compare, or enjoy both. Or you can stay here and explore beyond the downtown area. 

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Read on to find out what to do in historic Downtown Beaufort.

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Best Way to Explore Downtown Beaufort 

Park your car and walk. This is a small city that can be easily explored on foot, which will give you the chance to stop whenever you want to look at the architecture, read the signs telling you about the historic houses, and relax at the parks under the shade of larger than life trees.

The map below will help you to follow my itinerary in the same order I describe it and to see the location of the houses you’ll see here if you want to pick and choose.

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Brief History of Beaufort

The Spaniards were the first colonizers to say to the Native Americans This is ours! This is no longer yours! That happened around 1520 and they named the Port Royal area Santa Elena.

Then the French had a failed attempt to establish a French Protestant colony, but things didn’t come out as planned and they fled faster than a mouse chased by a hungry cat.

The Spaniards weren’t happy and fought back, No, no, no! This is ours! They established large settlements, however… 

Then came the English: This is now ours! This is not yours anymore! 

And by 1700 it was theirs.

Beaufort was established in 1711, becoming the second oldest city in South Carolina behind Charleston, and one of the most prosperous towns in America, with a busy port.

When you take a look at the gorgeous mansions from the antebellum era you think “Wow, that’s beautiful!”.

And you also think “Wow, I bet it took a lot of money to build these houses”.

How did the people here become so wealthy?

Sea-Island cotton, a silky, higher-quality strain of cotton from the Lowcountry, was the gold of this region.

Planters capitalized on the sought-after product making a fortune.

But, who harvested the crops? Enslaved men who were brought from Africa and sold as commodities.

Things turned around in 1863 with the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, putting an end to free labour. The houses were sold in an auction for unpaid taxes, and many of the previously enslaved people became the new owners.

By 1866, Beaufort was one of the finest African American neighbourhoods, even though many black-owned businesses didn’t survive after the tumultuous Reconstruction era.

What happened to the Sea-Island cotton?

The Civil War and a beetle infestation at the beginning of the 20th century, eating whatever was left, put an end to the crops.

But the gorgeous houses remain as part of the history.

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Walk Along the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park 

We started our day by taking a walk along this waterfront park overlooking the Beaufort River and the Marina. I loved the wide, landscaped, and well maintained promenade with plenty of benches and swings to relax. From here we walked one block north towards Bay Street.

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Visit the Art Galleries, the House Museum and the Restaurants on Bay Street

You can get your daily dose of art by visiting the galleries around Bay Street.

For some artwork typical of the Gullah culture (with roots in the West African culture) visit Legacy Art Gallery on 917 Bay Street.

Get an additional dose just off Bay Street at Atelier on Bay (203 West St.)

You can visit art galleries and artists’ studios where you’ll see artists at work creating paintings, stained glass, porcelain, and experimenting with different media. Check out the exhibits and demonstrations or roll up your sleeves and take workshops and classes (closed on Sundays).

The building housing the galleries (The Lipsitz Building) was built in 1883 and rehabilitated in 2014.

Another stop on this busy street is the Verdier House (801 Bay St.), built in 1804 in Federal style and built by a second-generation French Hughenot (a Protestant). It’s the only historic house open for tours (Monday to Saturday), operating as a house museum.

This is a great example of residential architecture in Beaufort during the Federal Period.

On Bay Street, you’ll also find several restaurants and bars where you can enjoy Beaufort’s cuisine. And don’t miss the sea salt chocolate caramel ice cream at Kilwins, right in front of Verdier House.

Keep on walking on Bay, cross Carteret Street and you’ll be on Stephen Elliott Park.

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See the Bridge that Forrest Gump Made Famous and The Prince of Tides House

From the Stephen Elliott Park (Cannon Park) on 600 Bay St., you can see the Woods Memorial Bridge. If it looks familiar even though you’ve never set foot on Beaufort it may be because you saw it in the Forrest Gump movie. 

This is the part when Forrest runs across the bridge on the Mississippi River in his non-stop marathon across the country.

In reality, Tom Hanks is crossing the Woods Memorial Bridge (with a Mississippi sign attached to it) on the Beaufort River.

If you’re a movie buff or a Forrest Gump fan you’ll find many other filming locations around  Beaufort.

Keep walking a few feet on Bay St and head north (601 Bay St.) and you’ll see the Lewis Reeve Sams House (c.1852), otherwise known as The Prince of Tides House, after the movie. Another great example of Beaufort architecture with Greek Revival elements.

Keep walking north on Bay St, which will turn into New St., to enter The Point.

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The Historic Homes of Downtown Beaufort

Take a stroll on the Historic District around The Point neighbourhood to see more beautiful mansions and surrounding parks. These houses are private property so you can only admire them from the outside.

These are some of my favourites:

The Larraseur Martinangle Cottage (c.1750) on the intersection of New Street with Port Republic Street (#601). This is one of the oldest houses in Beaufort. I loved the cute green baluster panels on the porch. 

To see the oldest house still standing you just have to turn 180 degrees. The Thomas Hepworth House (c.1720) is on 214 New Street. 

The Dr. George Mosse Stoney House (c.1838) on 500 Port Republic St. A Federal Style home with a two-storey structure in Greek Revival style added in 1838. The Union Army occupied this house from 1861 until 1865.

The Dr. Joseph Johnson House (c.1860) on 411 Craven St. A magnificent house in Greek Revival style with six imposing two-story columns in the facade.

I’m sure whatever company is in charge of cleaning the windows is happy. With a total of 79, they must be busy.

The construction of the house ended the same year the Union Army took Beaufort, and a hospital operated here during the Civil War.

Remember the wedding scene of the 1999  movie Forces of Nature? It was filmed here.

The Dr. Joseph Hazel House (c.1815) on 409 Federal St. Another Federal Style house with Greek Revival elements. It served as a hospital for the Union Army during the Civil War.

310 Federal Street: (c.1854) Yes, the house (which also served as a hospital during the war) is impressive, but even more impressive is the live oak in the front yard. One the largest and most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The tree branches extend in all directions resembling the arms of three octopus doing stretches.

Keep walking on Federal Street, head North one block on Pinckney Street and you’ll hit King Street. 

Welcome to The Elizabeth Crofut Waterhouse Square (or “The Green”). A small park with an amazing display of huge live oaks. I sat on the bench for a few minutes to bask in the beauty of this place.

Half a block from the park you’ll find another famous film location: The Tidalhom Mansion (c.1853), right on the waterfront on 1 Laurens Street. The Italianate-style house has been a retreat for the first owners (The Fripp Family), a hospital during the Civil War, a guest house, and the location of The Big Chill movie (1983) and The Great Santini (1979).

You’ll see the typical “Beaufort style”, with a second floor piazza (like a covered porch) added after a reconstruction after a hurricane.

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This is a nice spot to see the marshes and some birds. You’ll notice that you’re able to have a view from every waterfront street. That’s thanks to the Beaufort County Open Land Trust which preserves public land so everybody can enjoy the views. I wish more places would implement this!

Walk one block north and you’ll find Hancock St. I loved this one. The houses here are not as big and majestic as the ones you left behind, but some have lovely pastel colours and the live oaks around are a dream. I could take a walk here every day and never get tired of it.

The Rhodes House (c.1790) on 314 Laurens St. is one of the oldest houses of Beaufort. In 1893 this same house served as the headquarters for hurricane aid led by none other than the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton.

The First African Baptist Church on 601 New Street was founded in 1863 in a prayer house by black members of the Baptist Church of Beaufort. After the Federal forces occupied the city during the Civil War, this was a school for freedmen. 

In 1885 its members (over 900 people) said Let’s build a new building!, and they built the Carpenter Gothic Church standing before you.

The church had a famous member: Robert Smalls. I talked to you about him in my post about Charleston.

He was born in Beaufort in 1839, becoming a hero in 1862 when he and his family escaped slavery after seizing a Confederate boat (he was part of the crew) with other enslaved men and delivering it to the Union forces. He then became a state legislator and a US Congressman.

Do you want to see his house? It’s only one block away

The Robert Smalls House (c.1843) is on 511 Prince Street. Other than the house, the most remarkable part of checking it out (from the outside) is that Robert Smalls was born enslaved here. But in 1863, he became the owner after buying it in a tax auction. He served five terms in the US Congress while living there. Isn’t that remarkable?

“My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life”.

Robert Smalls

Now head South on New Street and you’ll have another “Hollywood moment”.

The Thomas Hazel House (ca.1852) on 509 North Street is another example of the Beaufort style. It was a hospital during the War Between the States. It’s also famous because a famous guest stayed here: Barbra Streisand. She rented the house while filming The Prince of Tides.

This is the end of my walk through The Point, but I checked a few more historic buildings before leaving.

The Tabernacle Baptist Church on 901 Craven Street: the church was formed in 1861 and it was the property of the Beaufort Baptist Church until 1867, when the members of the congregation bought it. This is the resting place of Robert Smalls, who died in 1915.

Walk one block south to check the last stop in our tour.

The Wallace Smith Mansion -now the Beaufort Inn- (c.1897) on 809 Port Republic Street. From a family summer retreat to a historic boutique hotel, guests started arriving in 1920. The owners have expanded the property after buying nearby historic cottages built in the mid-1800s. 

This is a convenient option to stay in downtown Beaufort and it has good reviews.

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Walk or bicycle on The Spanish Moss Trail

OK, this is outside the downtown area but not far away and it’s something worth checking out on your way in or out of Beaufort.

The paved trail is 10 miles long and an expansion is in the works.

The Spanish Moss Trail has been included in the Top 10 Urban Walking Trails in the States.

And if you’re into birding, bring your binoculars. It’s an easy peasy trail where you can see lots of waterfowl on the ponds.

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Beaufort still maintains its status as a jewel of South Carolina. It may be less famous than Charleston, but no less beautiful. The historic houses and dreamy landscape make it a destination you don’t want to miss.

Share this post with someone who is planning a trip to the South. They may find a thing or two they would like to check out.

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